Dwarka seeks water body tag for recharge sites
NEW DELHI: The residents of Dwarka have taken up the cudgels to ensure that two natural groundwater recharge sites in the area get water body status in the records of Delhi government and the Delhi Development Authority.
The two natural groundwater recharge sites are in sector 20 and 23, respectively.
Delhi has 1,000-odd water bodies, including village ponds, marshes, lakes and step wells, according to records available with the Delhi government. Activists say about 80% of these have been gobbled up by encroachments and urbanisation.
According to activist Diwan Singh, who is also a member of Dwarka Water Bodies Committee, the residents under the banner of Sukh Dukh Ke Saathi have taken up this cause to make sure that these water bodies act as natural groundwater recharge sites in this corner of the city.
“We are moving with our efforts to get the sites in Sector 20 and 23 in records of the DDA and Delhi government as water bodies so that due budget allocation, and other works are processed in a proper, systematic manner,” Singh said.
According to Singh, on October 13, the Dwarka tehsildar visited the water bodies with officials of the DDA. “The tehsildar has asked DDA to initiate the process for demarcation of water bodies so that the process for their inclusion in records can be finalised. This week, a Central Ground Water Authority official also visited the sites. He took note on how the performance of these water bodies can be improved further and would write to the Union Water Resource Ministry,” the activist said.
Three years back, in 2011-12, an environmental group led by Diwan Singh did a survey of ponds in 50 villages in and around Dwarka region. It was found that all these water bodies were nearly dead. Of the 183, 93 were dry, 63 had sewage in them and the rest were filled up artificially for animal husbandry purposes.
The development comes at a time when the national capital’s water bodies are vanishing due to apathy of authorities concerned, being used as garbage dumping sites or maintained poorly.